


My Orion

by leonheart2012



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Confessions, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Lance (Voltron), Internalized Homophobia, Lonely Keith, Lonely shiro, M/M, Probably ooc, Season/Series 08 Spoilers, soft Lance, what should have happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 12:27:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18756448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leonheart2012/pseuds/leonheart2012
Summary: Keith is lonely on the last day on Earth. Lance invites him to have dinner with him and his family.





	My Orion

Keith was so absorbed in his own thoughts, he didn’t notice Lance climbing up onto his Lion.

“Keith?”

He didn’t hear him, just sighed and curled his arms tighter around his knees, drawing them closer. A hand descended onto his shoulder.

“Hey, Keith.”

“Sorry, I...what?”

“You alright? You were looking pretty sad, there.”

Keith sighed. “You, Pidge and Hunk all have families to go back to, but...my dad’s dead, and my mom’s galaxies away. I know Shiro’s gotta be feeling pretty lonely too, but he’s stopped talking to me for some reason. Who knows how Allura and Coran are feeling about everything, and Romelle...”

“Well, I actually invited Allura to have dinner with me and my family.”

His heart sank. “Oh.” Keith put his chin back onto his knees.

“I came to ask you the same thing, dummy. It’s our last night on Earth, maybe forever. We should all be having a good time with the people we love.”

“I...would you really want me there? I thought you’d...I thought it would kind of be a date situation.”

“A date? No. So...will you come by?”

Keith felt a smile starting at the corners of his lips. “Yeah, I’ll come by.”

“Cool. You know where Shiro went off to? I’m gonna ask him, too.”

“No idea, sorry.”

“Alright, well...I’ll see you there.”

 

“Coran. Hey, I invited Allura and Keith to have dinner with me and my family. Do you want to come as well?”

“Well...if you’re all okay with having me.”

“Of course we are, Coran. You’re part of the family now. Just...don’t be weird about it, okay?”

“Certainly.”

 

Lance found Shiro at the grave plaque of his former boyfriend.

“Hey, Shiro.”

“Oh. Hi, Lance.”

“You alright?”

“Yeah. I just...I wish he was here, to see everything we’ve done, what we’ve become. What I’ve become.” He lowered his gaze. “Have you seen Keith? I know that I...that _this_ body wasn’t really close to him, but the spirit inside me...Shiro’s spirit...wants to be with him.”

“He’s going to be at my place for dinner tonight. Why don’t you come with and you can see him there?”

“I’d really like that, Lance. Thank you.”

“Well, it’s almost time. Did you want to walk back with me?”

“And eat dinner dressed like this?” He said, gesturing to his uniform. “No, I’ll meet you there.”

“Alright. Don’t take too long!”

 

Keith was the first to turn up, in his usual clothes. He blinked at Lance, who was looking very dashing in a knitted sweater and a button-down shirt, collar and everything.

“Wow.” He said, feeling his cheeks heat in a blush. “I didn’t know I should have dressed up.”

“You look fine how you are, Keith. Come on in and meet my family.”

 

Allura was the next to turn up, and she, too, had taken the chance to dress up. Lance was immediately at her side, commenting how nice she looked, seating her next to his mother, Keith on her other side.

“Oh. Hello, Keith. I hadn’t expected to see you.”

Keith ducked his head. He pulled Lance aside. “Are you sure you didn’t tell _her_ it wasn't a date? It sure seems like she thinks it is.”

“Really?” Lance looked over at her with wide eyes. “Oh. Maybe I should...I’ll be right back.”

Keith’s heart sank as he watched them talking quietly. Then, Allura stood and left.

“I’ll be right back, guys. Just going to get Romelle. I’m sure she’d love to experience Earth’s hospitality too.”

She was out the door before anyone else could say anything.

 

Shiro was the next to show up. He embraced Keith, but it felt awkward. They didn’t know each other like they had anymore. A hollowness grew in Keith’s chest, and he felt even more alone than ever.

 

Coran was the next to arrive, a bunch of flowers in one hand, a bottle of what looked like wine in the other, but the label was in Altean.

“Hello.” He said, giving the closest person a huge hug. “My name is Coran. It is so lovely to meet all of you.” He hugged the next person, and the next, all with the same level of enthusiasm. “Oh! Shiro. Lance didn’t say you were coming.”

“I get the impression he found me last.”

“Well, it’s good to see you here. Are you enjoying yourself?”

“I...suppose.”

“Good! It’ll be good to get going after being treated to a hearty meal from such wonderful people.”

Keith shrank further into himself.

 

Allura returned, looking much happier, with Romelle by her side.

“Sorry I left in such a hurry. This is Romelle.”

The conversation faded from Keith’s consciousness as Vanessa sat beside him.

“Hey, handsome. You don’t look so happy.”

“I...I guess I’m not. Do you ever feel lonely here?”

“Sometimes, but then I remember that I have a brother or sister right there next to me. But I guess that won’t work for you, will it? Maybe you should talk to Lance about it. I know he can be a bit boorish sometimes, but he has a good heart.”

Any mention of Lance just made him feel worse. “Yeah, I know. I’ve seen that side of him.”

Veronica smiled softly. “You really couldn’t have fallen for anyone better.”

“What?” Keith asked, cheeks reddening.

“I’ve heard girls talk about him like that for years, Keith, and every one of them has been head-over-heels for him. Just so you know, he has had crushes on boys before. He’d be mortified to admit it, but I’ve seen it. I just hope he can work through the fear around it, wherever it comes from.” She sighed and stood. “Really, though; you should find Lance and talk to him. He’d never forgive himself if you didn’t have a good time.”

Keith glanced over to where Lance was. He was talking with one of his brothers, laughing. The hollowness grew. He stood to leave, but then Coran was on him.

“Ah! Keith! It’s so good to see you. Come over and meet this wonderful man! He has great-”

“Coran, I told you not to get weird about this.” Lance tugged his arm from Keith’s shoulders. “Come on. I want to show you something.”

He led Keith up to his room, where he knelt on his bed and opened the curtains. “Come here.”

Keith knelt next to him, and Lance pointed out the window. “Do you know your constellations?”

“Not really. What am I looking for?”

“Orion. There’s a really bright star that marks the point of his arrow, and down from them, a belt of three stars. That’s how I find him. This used to be Veronica’s room, until she moved away to attend school.” He sighed and pressed his forehead against the glass. “The night before she left, she called me in here and pointed him out to me. She told me that, no matter what was going on in my life, he would be there, watching over me.”

Keith didn’t know what to say, so he stayed silent. He didn’t know if Lance wanted a hug or...well, he had no idea what he was supposed to do. So he just sat there. Like a wooden post, cursing himself for his awkwardness.

Lance turned to look at him, and smiled. “You know, when we left Earth, even before that, I’d decided I hated you. Just because you were a better pilot and...don’t tell anyone, but I thought...no, I _knew_ you were better looking than me. Girls would talk about you all the time, at the academy. I was jealous, to tell you the truth. But since getting to know you, since you took over the team...you’re my Orion, Keith. You’re the Orion for all of us. Pidge, Hunk, even Shiro, I think. If you’re there, everything’s gonna be okay.”

Keith laughed softly. “Are you always this deep?”

“No. Hardly. Actually, this was kind of some lame way to tell you...Keith, I...” He closed his eyes and lay back on the mattress, taking deep breaths.

“Lance? Are you ok-”

“I like you. A lot, Keith. I have for a while.” He worried at his lip. “Even before we left Earth. I wasn’t...jealous because all the girls liked you instead of me. I was jealous because they liked you. At all.” He sighed and rubbed his face. “It’s fine if you don’t feel the same way, just...don’t tell the others? I mean, I...I spent so long-”

“Lance, I definitely feel the same way. The truth is, I...I was jealous myself. Of Allura. I thought you liked her like I like you. I didn’t even know you existed until we left Earth, but...after you were hurt, that’s when it started growing. I saw who you really were.”

Lance reached up and tangled his fingers in Keith’s hair. “You’re not being an ass and joking?”

“Only if you’re not.”

The next second, they were kissing. Keith hovered over Lance, his knees quickly coming to frame his hips, his fingers dragging at the skin of Lance’s neck, their lips clinging to each other as their hearts beat faster.

“Oh! Sorry!” Allura said from the doorway. “Lance, your mother’s looking for you.”

“I’ll be down in a minute.” He said with a sigh. When she’d closed the door, Lance kissed him again. “Sorry about that. It’s probably because dinner’s ready. Come down with me?”

When Keith hesitated, Lance entwined their fingers. “You don’t have to do it alone.”

“Just...why didn’t you want the others to know?”

Lance’s shoulders slumped. “Can I...answer that question later? When we’re all together. I’d...rather not say it a hundred times.”

“Okay. I understand.” He kissed Lance again, just to ensure he wasn’t dreaming. Not that it did much in convincing him, but it _did_ feel good.

 

Lance looked like he was about to be sick. Everyone kept asking him if he was okay, but he waved away their questions. At the end of the briefing, he asked everyone but the original seven to leave.

When they were all gone, he took a deep, steadying breath.

“I don’t know if you all know, but Keith and I are...seeing each other now. I know that...that it might seem strange, what with all the flirting with girls I do, but the truth is...I never liked girls at all. I don’t really know what made me do it, but I...just...” He closed his eyes, just focusing on breathing again. Keith took the opportunity to reach under the table and hold his hand.

Lance smiled at him. “I guess I was just scared that I was different. I didn’t want to be the gay Cuban boy. That turned out well.” He chuckled drily, but it was clear that he was on the verge of tears.

Keith squeezed his hand, then leaned his head on his shoulder. “It’s alright, Lance. There’s nothing wrong with being gay. Or Cuban, for that matter.”

“I know. I know that, but...it’s hard.”

Shiro was the next to comfort him, his strong hand closing over his shoulder. “You should know that I’m gay by now, so if you’re ever needing help, I’m here to talk, and I know Keith will be more than happy to help you through this.”

“Yeah, man.” Hunk said, coming closer and wrapping him in a hug. “We’re all here for you. I’m just surprised I didn’t know. We’ve known each other for years...”

“And you all know about me being a girl, but I’m still glad I can be just another one of the guys with you. We won’t make a big deal out of it.”

Allura and Coran had similar statements of encouragement, and Keith was endlessly grateful to them for it. He wasn’t even sure that they knew what being gay _was_ , but their support clearly meant a lot to Lance.

 

After dinner that night, Keith slipped into Lance’s bed and curled his arms around him.

“Internalised homophobia.” He whispered.

“What?”

“That’s what it’s called. What you felt. I know that putting some label on your feelings never really fixes it, but it can sometimes make it easier to deal with.”

“Internalised homophobia.”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me about it.”

“It’s when someone tries to display hetero-normative behaviours in order to fit in, or look like they’re not gay. They might not even be that way, but they feel like they might be, so they have a bit of a prolonged ‘gay panic’ about it.”

“Internalised homophobia. Huh. I never even knew that was a thing.”

“Yeah. So...are you feeling better? I mean, about who you are?”

“Yeah, I am. I’m honestly still surprised I ever found the courage to tell you how I felt.”

Keith snorted. “You’re such a dork.” He kissed him deeply. “A very cute one, though.”


End file.
